Giving Thanks, and Looking Toward the Winter Season

Monday, 21 November 2011 00:00

Dear Members and Friends:  We wish you the nicest of Thanksgivings, full of your favorite foods and activities. 

Looking ahead, our Winter Share begins November 29th, and we hope to see you there.  Rumor has it that Matt's ordered up some tree-ripened organic citrus from Florida! 

  In the field this week: Mulching next year's garlic.

"They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty.  For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees).  And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion.  Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports."

- As reported by William Bradford, of Plymouth Plantation (document at the Pilgrim Hall Musuem)

On Taking Chances and Giving Thanks: A Few Words from an Adventurous Employee

Who ever thought that my boss would let me buy an old bus and convert it into a mobile market??

My boss is your farmer, Dave Jackson.  And he didn't just let me buy that bus, he gathered the support of our entire CSA membership to back the project. Wow! Definitely not what I expected when I signed on to work here.  

To my knowledge, there aren't any mobile markets quite like ours (farm-based, not supported by grants or nonprofits).  Once we had acquired the bus and a portable EBT machine, all we had to do was grow some vegetables and figure out where the need might be.  Simple, right?  "Go for it," said Dave, and I had a new job.  A job as a bus driver.

What a season!  What an impressive opportunity to explore the dynamics of local food and food deserts.  I loved representing the farm in every neighborhood we served.  We met lots of inspiring people in our partnering organizations and sold vegetables to so many wonderful folks.  How many times did I hear gasps of surprise at the bunches of collards, the fresh leeks and onions, the sweet corn that some customers had not been able to eat -- to ACCESS --  in years?  How many times did seniors share their memories of growing up on a farm and eating fresh food "just like this"?  How many children learned about farming and healthy food through their experience with the Mobile Market?   How much fun did my teenage son have when he came on the route to Somerville with me and played guitar with the neighborhood kids?

Now, at the end of the season, I find myself on the cusp of a departure from one adventure to another.  I'll soon be leaving Enterprise to coordinate the Food Pantry at the Amherst Survival Center.  It's a natural progression for me, just across the river, so not really a goodbye to the farm.  I do want to thank our fabulous members and partnering community organizations for their participation in this project.  It's not exaggerating to say that, because of your support, hundreds of people in your very own community are eating farm-fresh organic produce that they could not otherwise access.  And the project will go on.

I also want to thank our farmer, Dave Jackson, for being the kind of boss who fosters innovation among his staff.  This is a really special place with a fantastic crew, and I'm proud to have been a part of it.   You CSA members are lucky to have them!  I hope that future seasons of Farm Share will continue to circle back -- through Mobile Market, through Senior Shares, and who knows what else! -- to keep our communities healthy and well-supported. 

~ Shelly Beck, outgoing Project Coordinator

Hiatus Between Seasons

Monday, 14 November 2011 10:59

As our summer-fall CSA season draws to a close, we would simply like to express our thanks.  It's often the difficult times which challenge relationships.   But how wonderful (and humbling) to know that our members, volunteers, and farm staff have had our backs this year.  It could have been better, but it could have been so much worse!!

 

Members Eating, Dancing, and Playing at our Open House

Enterprise's Metro liaison, Caiti, recently visited several Boston-area sites to talk with members about the Winter Share.  Caiti learned that most folks are aware of our upcoming Winter season.  But some were not sure what they actually might find in the winter share.

What Can I Expect To Find the Enterprise Winter Share?

Our Winter Share is different from many winter CSAs. Let us explain... 

Another difference:  Our Winter Share runs from the first week of December until the first week of May, without a stop.   We bring you twenty-two weeks of roots, fruits and vegetables when

Large Share, April 2011

Spring Planting, 2011 -- It'll be planting time again before we know it!  But right now is a time for planning.  For farmers, the growing season really does start now.  Enterprise Farm is accepting members for Summer 2012, so sign up to reserve your spot before taking that long winter's nap, not after!  Also, be a part of the planning process -- This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it your comments, questions, suggestions, input (and feedback, if you have just finished the summer share).  We look forward to new and exciting adventures in growing CSA vegetables for you in 2012!  

This Week's Farm Share, November 7 - 12

Monday, 07 November 2011 13:54

Our Own Loose Beets  *  Our Own Bunched Carrots  *  Our Own Red Kale (Large Shares Only)  *  Our Own Collard Greens  *  Our Own Turnip and Rutabaga  *  Our Own Lettuces (Medium & Large Shares)  *  Our Own Green Peppers  *  Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes from Full Bloom Farm in Whately (Medium & Large Shares)  *  Empire and Cortland Apples (IPM) from Apex Orchard in Shelburne and Clark Brothers Orchard in Ashfield

Dave Speaks 

Dear Members, Friends & Family,

I want to take this time to thank each and every one of you for all your support and let you know how fortunate we feel to be a CSA farm after all the challenges we've faced this year.  Your offers of help during what has been one of the most difficult and certainly the most disappointing growing seasons in our 25-plus years here in Western MA have gone a long way.   I know at times the salad greens came in a little muddy, the tomatoes underripe, and then there were the collards that just would not quit and I want to thank you personally for your patience.   Amazingly enough we were still able to put together some great farmshares and eat some excellent food, a testament to the CSA model.   Through all this, we have learned what it really means to be a community-based farm.  We're glad that, with your support and feedback, we have been able to transition to being a fully-established CSA farm in just three years.

Helping us....
For those of you who have reached out with offers of help, we appreciated your thoughtfulness and your kindness.  The best way to help, of course, is to maintain your membership, considering the following options:

Signing up for the Winter Share helps us keep our staff employed year-round and helps pay the bills, but most importantly maintain momentum on important off-season projects.

Signing up now for the 2012 Summer Share will help us plan, finance, and prepare for next season, knowing now how difficult the weather can be.

Signing up a friend helps us promote your CSA and become even more established while growing our little community.

What's in it for you ...
We appreciate your support!  In return, you will reap the benefits from a number of new and exciting CSA projects planned for 2012 and beyond:

First and foremost, more cropland will be dedicated to CSA production.  This means more fun stuff like tomatoes, basil, celery, fennel, green beans, and melons during the main season, and less collards, eggplant, and dandelion greens.

Secondly, with your support we will be able to dedicate more acreage to growing winter greenhouse and storage crops for the year-round production that many of you have requested.

Lastly (and as a grower I find this the most exciting project coming up), is our effort of restoring an old apple orchard on our land.  We want to develop an organic tree-fruit and vineyard program for the near future.  For this project to move forward, we not only need your continued support over time but also your support during the winter when we are clearing the land for spring planting.

In closing, I would like to say that transitioning our farm to a CSA over the past three years while raising a young family has not been easy, but equally rewarding.   Our farm is now a place where our kids can play, folks can come and hang out, and our staff can work year round.  This in and of itself has been a major accomplishment, but moving forward I see the best is yet to come.  Now that most of the reorganizing has been done, my goal is to reach out to all of you more.  As the season begins to wind down, I will be posting a separate blog on the website in hopes of starting a running dialogue with many of you about the farm, the CSA and other issues that I know concern us all.  In the meantime, please enjoy the coming holidays and thank you for your continued support.

- D.J.

Storage and Preparation Tips

Green Peppers -- Did you know that, without any cooking, you can freeze peppers for later use?   If you aren't going to use your peppers right away, chop them up and quick-freeze them on a baking sheet; it only takes about 20 minutes.  Then into a freezer bag they go, ready to be poured into your favorite recipes this winter.  You'll thank yourself!  Frozen peppers make a welcome addition to quiches, stir-fries, rice dishes, chili or stews.

BEET SALADS come in all kinds -- hot, cold, tender, or crunchy depending on your mood.  Here are a few variations on Beet Salad:

1) Grated Beets, Carrot, and Apple Slaw -- Grate your beets with a few carrots, an apple, and whatever other crunchy vegetables you can find (celeriac and turnip work great).  Add salt and pepper, then mix it all up with either mayonnaise, oil & vinegar dressing, or plain yogurt to bind everything together.   Chopped walnuts will add a Waldorf-Salad touch!

2) Boiled Beet Salad -- Boil your beets in their jackets until a knife inserted meets with little resistance.  Then peel the skins under cool water and chop the beets into chunks.  Mix in some oil and vinegar (2:1 ratio), plus some salt or tamari, some pepper, maybe garlic, and herbs such as thyme, dill, or mint.   So good warm on a cold day!  Serve over salad greens or as a side dish.   Here's an interesting variation: Beet Salad Tossed in Anchovy-Infused Balsamic Dressing!

3) Roasted Beet Salad -- A customer at the farmers' market told us about this simple preparation:  Chop your beets into chunks, mix with salt and rosemary for flavor, coat very lightly with olive oil, and roast on a baking sheet at 375F until getting tender.   When you think the beets are almost done, throw in a handful of walnuts and allow them to roast with the beets (you'll smell the walnuts getting toasty; it's time!).  Remove everything to a bowl.   Add some chopped red onion and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  Alternately, sherry vinegar and dijon mustard are a zesty combination.  Top this salad with crumbled goat cheese and/or fruit such as orange chunks or dried cranberries.  Delicious served on a bed of spinach. 

This Week's Farm Share, October 31 - November 5

Friday, 28 October 2011 09:24

Our Own Baby Bok Choi (All Medium & Large Shares)  *  Our Own Red Cabbage  *  Our Own Celeriac  *  Our Own Chard (Large Shares Only)  *  Our Own Cooking Greens  *  Our Own Varieties of Lettuce  *  Bosc Pears  from Honey Bee Farm in West Brookfield  (low-spray; no spray applied within 30 days of harvest)   *  Chef and Russet Potatoes (Conventionally-Grown) from Smiarowski Farm in Hatfield  *  Sweet Potatoes from Lakeside Organics in Hadley

Celeriac

Nor'easter News

 2011 certainly has been a "trick or treat" kind of year.  Should we really be surprised to have 8" of wet snow dumped on the farm in late October?? 

Fortunately, you won't be crying, "I got a rock!" when you bring home your CSA loot this week.  We were able to harvest ahead of the weather, so all farm shares will be filled as usual.    Likewise, we anticipate our deliveries to go out on schedule. Should there be complications, we would contact the appropriate members and site coordinator ASAP.   Wintry weather always brings the need for contingency plans, so we're staying prepared and we hope to keep the farmshare running smoothly for everyone.We hope you take care, stay warm, and enjoy all your treats.

Storage & Preparation Tips

Celeriac 

Bosc Pears